MIG wrote:

Mizter T wrote:
MIG wrote:

(snip)

I thought that beginning 3xx or 4xx implied that the route wasn't
direct. It certainly seems to work that way in practice.

Like the 484, which seems to visit every single house in south London
while going nowhere much. And a 3 something which I got on at Queen
Elizabeth Hospital to go a very short distance to Woolwich centre. I
think it went via Margate.

I'll have less bad mouthing of the 484 thank you! I have several
friends down that way, many of whom utilise it frequently, and I
patronise it occasionally as well.

Yes, in places it does go all around the houses, but should one be
familiar with those parts of south London you'd see it provides good
"cross-country" links (to completely abuse a phrase!) between
neighbourhoods in ways that the trunk bus routes along main roads
cannot do, as the main roads just aren't in the 'right' places.


I wasn't bad mouthing it. Many's the time I've rolled out of a house
in the middle of some unfamiliar residential street after a few cans
thinking "how do I get home from here?" and then (as one squeezes round
the corner) realise "oh, the 484 comes here as well".

It generally gets you from just about any house to a bus route that you
are familiar with.

I hope you don't take my witterings too seriously! Yes, said bus route
does scoop people up from all over the place. As you rightly point out
it does go round (all) the houses - using it for a Camberwell Green to
Lewisham journey would be somewhat absurd.